Meaning of kleptomnesia | Babel Free

Definitions

The situation where a person comes up with an idea that they believe to be original, but which was in fact created by someone else and previously encountered by the person.

neologism, uncountable

Examples

“Kleptomnesia happens due to a pragmatic, but peculiar, feature of how human memory is wired. When we encode information, we tend to pay more attention to the content than the source. Once we accept a piece of information as true, we no longer need to worry about where we acquired it.”

“Chad Bauman has offered a great model for the “make your own religion” exercise, and I will engage in repeated acts of “kleptomnesia” in appropriating his ideas.”

“It’s fair to say that psychologists haven’t exactly figured out a way around kleptomnesia, and maybe Melania Trump’s speech might instigate research into this fuzzy area.”

“We're all vulnerable to “kleptomnesia”—accidentally remembering the ideas of others as our own.”

“Like every other author, I'm vulnerable to 'kleptomnesia' – accidentally remembering the ideas of others as your own.”

“I worry that I will wake up tomorrow in a cold sweat, having forgotten to thank someone who assuredly deserved it. Everyone is vulnerable to "kleptomnesia," or accidentally remembering the ideas of others as our own.”

CEFR level